Sales and merchandising experts have a variety of educational and career options. They can work on the sales floor of retail establishments, for retail manufacturers and in retail management positions. Continue reading to find out if a career in this field is right for you.

Inside Sales and Merchandising

A person who works in retail sales focuses on selling products to individuals in a retail environment. Retail sales is a physically demanding job that typically requires no formal training and often includes unconventional hours. Retail management positions often require a degree in a field like business. Management positions typically involve supervising retail staff, managing store office operations, ordering stock and merchandising.

Sales representatives can work for wholesale businesses, manufacturers and technical companies. These individuals focus on business-to-business sales, rather than selling to the public. Inside sales often requires a lot of time spent on the phone, talking with business owners about purchasing products, while outside sales includes traveling to various businesses to sell merchandise in person. There is usually no formal education requirement for these positions, although some may require a degree.

Education Information

There are several degree options if an individual wishes to gain an edge over other applicants or progress to management positions. Community and technical colleges offer several educational options, including certificate and associate degree programs in retail sales and merchandising. Bachelor's and master's degree programs in retail management with a merchandising option are available online or in traditional on-campus formats. Coursework at this level can include promotions, personnel operations and retail principles. Many programs at all levels offer a fashion merchandising option; coursework can include fashion marketing, visual merchandising and fashion analysis.

Check out the following links to further explore the schools and degree options available for this field of study.

Career Options

There are several potential job titles for the student who is interested in sales and merchandising, including sales representative, merchandising marketing professional and retail manager. Get more information about what some of these careers entail by visiting these links.

Employment Information

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average annual wage in 2019 for retail salespersons was $29,360, while sales representatives for manufacturers and wholesale companies averaged $71,110 (www.bls.gov). Retail supervisors and managers earned an average of $45,830 per year.

The BLS also stated that from 2018-2028, employment decline of retail sales workers would be two percent, while growth for wholesale and manufacturing sales reps would be two percent. In addition, job decline for first-line retail supervisors is projected to be two percent during the same time period.